Rain Led To Hectic Honda Indy Toronto Race 2; Filippi Finished 16th After Running as High as Fourth and Rahal Retired Due to Shifting Issues After Running as High as Seventh

RAIN DICTATED AN UP AND DOWN EVENT FOR MOST IN RACE 2 OF THE HONDA INDY TORONTO; FILIPPI FINISHED 16TH AFTER RUNNING AS HIGH AS FOURTH AND RAHAL RETIRED DUE TO SHIFTING ISSUES AFTER RUNNING AS HIGH AS SEVENTH

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 National Guard Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a great day for a while. This National Guard car was fast and we were moving up the field yet again after starting 19th. I felt I was driving a pretty good race again and went down the back straight. I had a run on Ryan Hunter-Reay. I had just hit push to pass and went to pull sixth gear and something broke in the back of the car, it wouldn’t shift. I don’t know what happened but something in the gear box is broken, at least that’s my guess. It can’t seem to find a gear. Right as I went to pull around Ryan it went into neutral and started grinding gears. I tired to downshift and it didn’t, then it hit a gear so I drove around about another lap and as I came on the front straight it decided not to shift again. Finally when I went through the accident scene there at the end she came to a halt. I couldn’t get it back going. It’s really tough. These National Guard guys have been working their butts off and, the luck, we just don’t have any. But it’s going to end soon and I think you’ll see us on the top side of the podium soon.”

FAST FACTS: Started 19th based on Entrant Points for Race 2 and took over 15th after Lap 1. The team elected to pit early (Lap 7) to go on an alternate strategy and he was running 21st but light rain began to intermittently fall. As the rainfall picked up, many drivers slid off course and the majority of the field pitted for rain tires on Lap 14. With 19 laps to go Rahal passed Wilson for seventh place before the race was deemed a “timed event.” Once he made another stop to switch rain tires for slicks on the rapidly drying course, he returned to the track in 14th place and was in 13th when a shifting issue surfaced. He ultimately stopped on course after he completed 50 of what would become a 56 lap race after a red flag for a multi car accident that blocked Turn 3 and led to a subsequent restart. He retired in 20th place… Will be his eighth and ninth Indy car races here and 10th overall including his 2006 Atlantic race… In seven Indy car races, his best Toronto start is third in 2009 with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and his best finish is fifth in 2010 with Newman/Haas Racing…His best finish this season is second place in Detroit Dual 1 and best start is fourth in Race 2 of the 2014 Houston doubleheader.

LUCA FILIPPI, No. 16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Everything went well at the beginning; we had a great start and great setup. Actually we were very fast then there was a yellow and everything went well. Then I made a mistake. It was a small one but it cost me quite a lot, especially because they didn’t let me pack up before the end of the yellow. Then we were in a bit of a situation where we were running fifth and then we were in the back and suddenly there was a yellow again and there was a chance to go for slicks (tires) or stay on wet tires. It was a bit of a difficult choice but we decided to stay on wets (rain tires) and got fourth again but unfortunately it stopped raining and the tires, in the end, weren’t the right choice. We tried the gamble though. Then I also got a puncture when I was hit from behind. After that we all had to go to slicks. At the end of the day what I can say is that our performance has always been very good through the whole weekend, through qualifying, what we did this morning in the first race and also in the second race. All the time we were very fast. This is not the result I wanted but at least we proved that me and the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team together can do well. We are developing a great relationship and I am really pleased with everyone in the team. I really hope we can work together again in the future.”

FAST FACTS:Started 23rd in Race 2 based on Entrant Points and gained six spots after the standing start and issues of a few competitors on the opening lap. He ran as high as 10th before his first pit stop and was in sixth when Huertas hit his right rear and spun. He ran in fifth after that but slid into the tires on Lap 33 and dropped to 19th place. A caution period later enabled the front runners to trade their rain tires for the faster slick tires and the decision was made to have Filippi stay on track to gain positions which enabled him to move to fourth place before the race was red flagged for a five-car crash that blocked the track in Turn 3. Once the race resumed, the track quickly continued to dry and those on slicks dropped Filippi to seventh. He was hit from behind later and dropped as low as 16th after he pit to replace a flat tire in a closed pit. He regained a few positions to take the checkered flag in 13th place but a post race 30-second penalty for pitting which the pits were closed dropped him to a 16th place finish… Was his first and second Indy car races here and seventh and eighth in the series.Filippi made four Indy car starts in 2013 for Bryan Herta Autosport at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and street races in Baltimore and the doubleheader races in Houston. In 2014, he competed in the two races in Houston where he earned a career-best Indy car qualifying position of fourth place for Race 1 and was in eighth place when he made contact with the inside wall of a turn on a restart while attempting to overtake Pagenaud and retired in 21st place. He brushed the wall in qualifying for Race 2 and bent the right rear toe-link which limited his starting position. Once the team replaced it, he was only able to complete one lap on red tires in the 15 minute session and was sixth fastest and started 12th. In the race he ran as high as fifth but had to pit due to a tire puncture. He was on target for a seventh place finish but contact with Montoya on the last lap dropped him to 15th… His highest series starting position is fourth in Race 1 in Houston 2014 and his highest finish is 10th in Race 1 in Houston 2013.

NEXT UP: The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will take place on August 3 and be televised by NBCSN beginning at 3 PM ET.